A sturdy veteran in his 11th year who started nine games last season, he had been lining up with the team's first-unit in camp, so the loss cuts deep.
"He was really looking forward to this season," Gay said.
Gay explained that any time a player is lost for the season, it reverberates throughout the entire locker room, especially among players at the same position because they spend so much time together.
"That really hurt me," he said. "Chad is such a good person and such a hard worker, one of the biggest competitors on the team. To see him go down, on a play in which he was untouched . . . it hurts all of us."
Added safety Eugene Wilson: "He's a leader. If you watch his work ethic, it's just great; he was one of the [offseason] award winners this year. He's a real competitor, but moving forward we just have to deal with the guys we have now."
So where do the Patriots -- whose depth already has been taxed with Asante Samuel staying away from camp -- go from here?
In recent practices, Gay has worked with the first unit.
Entering his fourth season, Gay has been limited to just eight games over the last two seasons because of injuries -- he was carted off the field two years ago after hurting his ankle in Carolina -- but had what coach Bill Belichick felt was his best offseason. Gay is hoping that momentum carries him through the 2007 campaign.
"I'm back this year and ready to go, ready to play hard," he said. "I feel great."
He'll feel even better if he can duplicate his performance from 2004, when he was a surprise contributor (starting the final 12 games) to the Patriots' Super Bowl season after making the roster as an unheralded rookie free agent.
While the 5-foot-11-inch, 190-pound Gay has been working opposite Ellis Hobbs with the top unit, the Patriots have had veteran Tory James and rookie first-round draft choice Brandon Meriweather as the second-string corners.
James has 86 career starts and hasn't missed a game over the last four seasons, totaling 21 interceptions over that time.
Signed to a one-year deal as a free agent after four seasons with the Bengals, he's made a solid first impression in New England.
